into Google and got precisely zero hits. No-one on the
entire web, it would seem, has written this phrase.
Why not? Clearly it is "culturally verboten".

I was motivated to ask this question of the search engine,
as, after many years of teaching in the University
sector, I have met a significant number of people
who I consider have been significantly damaged
as individuals by subscribing to the "hard work is
necessary" hypothesis.

So let us put the record straight here, and
spell out some of the advantages of working
just sufficiently to satisfy the various criteria
of emotional and spiritual need, the demands
of the job, the necessity of keeping
body supplied with food clothing and shelter,
and the social requirements of interacting
with others.

Case histories

Among the people I have observed who subscribe to
the "hard work is good" hypothesis are several
University academics whose ability to think
clearly, and administer effectively, are
adversely affected by their permanent state of
tiredness. Often, these folk feel the
need to intervene when it is inappropriate. People like this
generally are unhappy with the
status quo, and feel that any change or intervention
is bound to be for the better.

Among the students I have met, there are significant numbers
whose ability to learn and retain information,
let alone process it effectively, have been
compromised by years of being forced to
acquire unnecessary skills and learn unnecessary
facts; I maintain this has actually physically
damaged their brains, and that an enlightened court
of law would award them damages against their
educational institutions. Often, this kind of
mental overload seems to be a prerequisite for
admission to the course being taken.

At Berkeley (Uni Calif) in the 1960s I noticed
that the ability of overworked students to
express themselves clearly in spoken English was
severely impaired. This was confirmed in the
early 1980s when a telephone conversation
with a Physics grad student in a Californian
University had to be abandoned as the person in
question could not communicate fluently. It is
also noticeable that overworked students
cannot sequence or recall simple facts like names,
addresses, and telephone numbers with accuracy.
Neither can they spell accurately or proof read
what they have written. They also try to
"rote learn" ineffectually, as they cannot
repeat accurately what they have just seen,
read, or heard.

Among the medics I have met, there are a significant
number, likewise, who "do what they do, regardless" -
thus if you go to a physician you get dosed up with
drugs; to a surgeon, you get cut open; in fact,
each specialist tries to fit your ailment into
his own field of competence. This activity is
unrelated to the needs of the case.

Among the politicians I have known, the greatest
damage to society is caused by those people
who regard themselves as the greatest "movers and shakers".
Moreover, there is a class of commentator that regards
the activity of "moving and shaking" to be
intrinsically beneficial, without regard to the
end effects.

Choice in the marketplace

Much of the excessive pressure to work harder, to
produce more for less, and to drive staff harder is
justified by the mantra "choice for the consumer".
It is a psychological observation that
given excessive choice, the majority of people
have extreme difficulty in exercising it
and arriving at a rational purchasing decision.
Supermarkets should note this. It is far easier
to choose from a limited range of goods
than from acres of produce spread out
among miles of shelving.

The same observation applies to the motivation
of students on modular degree courses.
Excessive choice leads to a shallow educational
experience. It is also somewhat demotivating
for the student. I am often asked to delimit
my course materials so that the student knows
what is not to be covered in the exam tests.

Feedback regulation

There is a report at
www.discover.com that the brain (specifically, the left pre-frontal
cortex) undergoes structural changes on long exposure (many years) to stress such
as overwork. This makes the brain's owner more disposed to see
the negative side of events, rather than the positive. One can see
a certain amount of self-regulation here, for positive disposition
in a person predisposes him/her to work harder. We can also identify the
scientific reasons for negative reactions to excessive perceived stress
and the onset of depressive illness caused directly by being subjected
to a heavy workload.

Optimum range of workload

It is apparent that most people have a range of demand that they
can tolerate, or even feel comfortably happy with. Below the lower
limit they feel discontented and under-utilised, and above the
upper limit they seek to shed work and may even become
bad-tempered. An attribute of people who rise to high positions
within their organisations is that they are very tolerant of
a wide range of work demands; they find occupations for themselves
if lightly loaded, and they are benign under pressure, even if
it is unreasonable. For this reason, they are candidates for
promotion.

Shared views

The tenor of this argument is shared by Prince Charles
in a report in the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday 13th Sept 2005.